1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the transportation and storage of articles and, more particularly, to a system and a method for transporting and storing a variety of airplane seats.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sometimes a seat must be removed from an airplane and transported to a selected location, such as a repair shop. This is typically done by installing the seat to be transported on a standard wooden pallet and carrying the latter with the seat thereon to the repair shop. During the handling of the pallet by the forklift, the feet of the seat can be damaged if they accidentally come in contact with the prongs of the forklift. Furthermore, once the seat has been transported to the repair shop, the seat must be removed from the pallet and mounted on an appropriate support structure to subsequently allow a technician to repair the seat. Additional damages can be made to the seat during its transfer from the pallet to the support structure.
Various seat carrying pallets have been develop as alternatives to conventional wooden pallets. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,708 which issued on Mar. 12, 1996 to Jeruzal discloses a transportation pallet suited for mounting, transporting and handling an automobile seat. The pallet is provided with adjustable article attachment brackets. More particularly, the transportation pallet includes a primary pallet seated in a lower shell defining a pair of laterally spaced-apart openings for receiving the prongs of a forklift. Front and rear L-shaped elongated mounting brackets are secured to the topside of the primary pallet by means of bolts. A number of transversal brackets can be adjusted and fixed at various positions along the extent of the front and rear brackets.
Although the pallet disclosed in the above mentioned patent is effective to transport a variety of automobile seats or the like, it has been found that there is a need for a new seat transport and storage system wherein the seat does not need to be removed from the pallet for storing or repairing purposes.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a method for transporting and storing an airplane seat adapted to reduce the risks of damaging the seat while transporting the same to a destination.
It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a seat transport and storage system which is adapted to accommodate various types of airplane seats.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for transporting and storing seats removed from an airplane, comprising the steps of a) providing a pan adapted to support a variety of airplane seats, b) securely mounting a seat unfastened from an airplane body on said pan, c) transporting said pan with said seat thereon to a selected location, and d) installing said pan on a complementary support structure provided at said selected location.
In accordance with a further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for transporting and storing a variety of airplane seats, comprising a portable base pallet, first and second parallel seat supports for supporting a seat on said base pallet, wherein at least one of said first and second supports is slidably displaceable along a pair of parallel channels provided on said base pallet for selectively adjusting said first and second seat supports relative to one another, said pair of parallel channels slidably receiving opposed end portions of said first and second seat supports, and fasteners for rigidly fixing the seat on said first and second supports once the spacing therebetween has been adjusted in accordance with a foot spacing of the seat.